


New Beginnings

by moonlitfog



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Jealous!Jim, Language, M/M, Possibly Out of Character, Prompt Fic, Sexual Content, Slash, Space Wrapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-06
Updated: 2012-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 22:20:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/398821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitfog/pseuds/moonlitfog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Bones and Joce and Jo, oh, my.<br/>Pinch hit for Space Wrapped 2011. Original prompt: #49 Jocelyn brings Jo onto the Enterprise for the holidays. Jim wonders what this could mean. No bitchy!Jocelyn please.<br/>I hope this is kind of what the prompter wanted. As is expected, I did not succeed in the quest for a beta on this; I fail so hard. Jocelyn isn't a bitch, but she may be a Mary Sue. You'll have to decide for yourself. Originally posted in two parts on LJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Beginnings

Jim looked up as his door chimed. He was surprised and very puzzled to find Bones waiting in the hall. Usually he just let himself in unheralded.

“Uh. Come in?”

“What? You're not sure if I can or if that's the polite thing to say or what?” Bones sniped as he stalked inside and fell on the couch.

“Huh?” Jim blinked at Bones. “Oh. Uh. No. I was just, uh. You didn't just walk in. It surprised me. What's up?”

Bones fidgeted for a moment, eyes evading Jim's and he flushed high on his cheeks.

“I wondered... well. I wanted to ask. Um.” Bones broke off, then took a deep breath. In a rush he grated out, “Joce wants to bring Jo to visit for Christmas. Here. On the Enterprise.”

Jim twitched but thought he hid the flinch well by covering it with a cough. He couldn't mean The Ex wanted to stay too, could he? Nonchalantly, he prodded, “Oh? You're going to get to spend Christmas with your little girl! That's awesome. What's your ex going to do while Jo's here?”

Bones quirked his brow at Jim. “Did you listen to me? At all? Let me use little words. She wants to bring Jo. She wants to stay on-board with Jo for a couple days.”

“Oh.” Jim smiled wanly at Bones. “Hey, that'll be great. It'll be just like old times, huh?”

Bones stared at him for a moment, then snorted. “Well, not exactly. You know. Since we're _divorced_ and all.”

“What about her husband?”

“Guess he's staying back home with his parents.”

Jim felt sick. Had they split because The Ex had finally realized what she'd thrown away? Was she coming here to take back what she never should have given up? He couldn't, _wouldn't_ , lose Bones. In one of those flash decisions he was so good at, Jim decided that this sounded like it was a no-win scenario. Since he didn't believe in no-win scenarios, he was just going to have to make sure Bones stayed. Here. With him. He wouldn't take his eyes off The Ex the entire time she was aboard.

“Yeah, Bones, OK. That'll be great. Just let Yeoman Krii'at know when they're arriving and leaving so it can make sure the best guest quarters are free and ready for them.”

Bones grinned, relieved. “Thanks, Jim. It'll be the first Christmas I've been able to spend more than a couple hours with Jo in five years.”

Jim was too manly to admit that he melted just a little bit when he heard that statement. “No problem, man. I'd never want to hinder you spending time with Jo.” ' _Your Ex, on the other hand... well, that's another story_.'

~O~

Jim was not about to lose out to some pretty little blue-eyed bitch who'd changed her mind about Bones. He was just guessing about the blue-eyed thing, and the part about her being pretty and little, since he'd never seen a holo of her, but she had to have a lot going for her if she'd snagged Bones into marriage. He had good taste; after all, he'd ended up with Jim, hadn’t he? Maybe what they had wasn't enough, though. It wasn't like they'd exactly made any definite commitments. Maybe Bones wanted more. Well. He could fix that.

Jim spent the next few weeks doing everything he could to drive the memory of The Ex right out of Bones’s head. He brought him nightcaps unasked. He made sure the chef served peach and pecan pies more often and real grits for breakfast inordinately often. He sent him coffee when he thought Bones needed just that little extra kick to get through the day. He took him on surreptitious dates, to watch holos, or walk around the ship talking or to look at nebulae from the observation deck. He blew him until Bones's eyes rolled back in his head before making his toes curl every other way he could think of, and Jim could be very inventive.

In short, Jim wooed Bones. In earnest. In the best Jim Kirk way. Bones just went with it, bemused and eventually amused. If Bones knew what Jim was doing, he kept his own counsel. At first, Bones had put his hand over Jim’s forehead, asking if he was feverish, and once grumbled about space madness. Otherwise, Bones just accepted, at first with half-heard mumbles, then with half-hidden smiles. He did _not_ take unfair advantage. Much.

~O~

Jim made sure he was in the transporter room when The Ex and Jo beamed aboard. They arrived two days before Christmas and planned to leave the day after. Jim watched as a beautiful dark haired little girl and a woman materialized from the molecular swirl. His attention fixated on The Ex.

After a grudging moment Jim admitted to himself that The Ex was a lovely woman. Her hair was a glossy dark gold and her deep brown eyes reminded him of a holo he'd seen of a deer. She hadn’t lost all her baby weight, but it just made her extra curvy, adding to her charm. She was definitely within his ‘I’d hit that if I wasn't with Bones’ limits. He hated her already.

Pasting a smile on his face, he waited while the girl flung herself at Bones. Bones grabbed her beneath her armpits and swung her in a circle, both faces split by adoring grins, before he hugged her until she squeaked.

“Daddy, too tight,” she complained, but she didn't release her death grip around his neck when Bones tried to put her down.

Jim thought Bones might be blinking back tears but he couldn't really tell through the liquid sheen that obscured his vision. If anyone ever asked, he'd deny to his dying breath that there was a little extra moisture there.

Jo whispered, in a voice that probably carried down the hall and into the next dimension, “Daddy. That man has allergies.”

Bones turned to look where she was pointing and saw Jim looking astonished.

“Yeah, cara, he does. But how did you know that?”

“Because boys don't cry. They have allergies.”

The room stopped, then there was an overabundance of shuffling, eye wandering and throat clearing as everyone present tried not to laugh. When Bones had composed himself, he looked at Jo and nodded.

“Too true, pumpkin.” Turning, he smiled at The Ex. She walked up and kissed Bones on the cheek. When she drew back, her hand lingered on Bones's shoulder before sliding to his bicep and patting. She finally pulled her hand away. Jim politely seethed with gritted teeth at the unwelcome intimacy.

“How are you, Joce?”

“Well. How are you, Lenny?”

“Great, now. Come on, let me introduce y'all.”

Still beaming with a thousand watt smile, Bones turned and introduced the harridan to Chekov (too d-uh-dratted young by half, but a good kid and smart as a whip). Chapel was there, grinning (best nurse I’ve got but I don’t know what the huh-heck she’s doin’ here other than wasting time out of too much curiosity and get your aaa-uh-fanny back down to Sickbay and do somethin’ useful, Chapel). Scotty snorted at the cleaned up language (bat-sh-uh crazy engineer who’s always getting sh-stuff blown up in failed f-eh-freakin’ experiments and God help anyone who works with him but he does keep the ship running).

At last he turned to Jim. “Jo, Joce, this is Captain James Kirk. If I ever have a heart attack, it’ll be because he caused it. Most g-g-gosh darned reckless foolhardy risk-taking adrenaline junky of an idiot I’ve ever met.”

Jo said, “Oh. O-o-oh,” with eyes wide. The Ex beamed at him. Holding out her hand, she said, “I’m so pleased to meet you, Captain. Lenny mentions you quite often.” Her voice was a honeyed drawl and damn it all to hell, was she trying to be as fucking perfect as possible?

Jim apparently lost his mind at the drawl. Suddenly his mouth was moving without his mind’s permission. “You can’t have him back.”

The Ex’s eyes widened, Jo giggled and Bones rolled his eyes. “Jim,” he barked before The Ex turned to him with a look.

“Lenny, why don’t you show Jo all about this transporter thing while I talk to your Captain for a minute? I meant to wait a bit, but I think we better just get this out of the way right now.”

Turning to Jim, she said, “Well, Captain, do you have somewhere a little more private?”

Jim flushed at the silence and noticed the squirming as people tried not to look at anyone else in the room. “Uh. Yeah. Sorry about that. Yeah, let’s just go across the hall. As you were,” he added to the crew as he abruptly turned and stalked to the storage room across the way. Once inside, Jim leaned back against some boxes, arms folded, and a scowl darkened his face.

The Ex stood in front of him, head cocked, eyes sharp as she looked Jim up and down. After a scrutiny that felt like it cut to his core, The Ex spoke. “I think you have the wrong idea, Captain.”

“Yeah? Well, why don’t you enlighten me then?”

“I’m not here to ‘take him back’.”

“No? Then just why are you here?”

After another survey that just torqued Jim’s irritation up another notch, The Ex said, “It took us a lot of work to get past the divorce, but Lenny and I are better friends now than we ever were when we were married, and I’m happy with Clay. I don’t regret us divorcing. Together we ended up miserable. But now, I think we’ve both found the person we really belong with.”

Jim blinked at that. She continued, “I don’t think you realize how much Lenny talks about you, or know the way he lights up when he does. Well. Lights up for Lenny. It’s obvious to anyone who knows him well that he’s in love with you.” She smiled at him briefly, then turned serious. “Things weren’t great when I grew up. I have a few issues.” There was a bitter smile after that statement.

“I’ve never let Jo stay with Lenny alone because of that. I just feel safer if she’s not alone with people. Not that I don’t completely trust him with her, don’t get me wrong. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me. Now that he’s in a relationship,” and here she pierced Jim with a sharp stare, “and don’t try to deny you're in a relationship, I’ll be all right letting Jo visit. I wanted to meet the people Jo will be spending time with. That’s the reason I’m here. I’m doing recon, as it were.”

Jim was still blinking, looking like he’d been pole-axed. “Oh. Huh.” A few more blinks, and he started to rearrange his world-view. “Really? You don’t want him back?”

She laughed. “No. We really are better apart. I, uh, also wanted to make sure about you.” When Jim’s scowl threatened to return, she hurried to explain. “Lenny’s a good man, and I care about him, as a friend and my daughter's father. Don’t get all upset. I wanted to make sure he was with someone who wouldn’t hurt him. I already hurt him too much. He deserves to be happy.”

She smiled reassuringly at him as he thought about what she said. After subjecting her to the look that had cowed Klingons and warring tribal leaders, and she didn't waver under his scrutiny, he relaxed and grinned. Holding out his hand, he shook hers. “Truce?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, Captain, but I hope it’s less truce and more friends. We’re going to be like family, after all.”

Startled, Jim blurted, “Family? Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re with Lenny. When you’re with Lenny, you’re with family.” After a narrow-eyed stare, she continued. “Just what are your intentions toward Lenny?”’

“My intentions?” Jim most emphatically did not squeak.

“Your intentions. We do still have shotgun weddings down South, you know. I certainly hope you intend to make an honest man of Lenny at some point.”

“That’s between Len… Damn it, now you’ve got me calling him that. That’s between the two of us, Mrs. Treadway.”

“Just so you know I’ll be watching you. Don’t hurt him. And call me Joce. Or Jocelyn, if you prefer.” She grinned at him, and he could see why Bones had been attracted to her. She really was a pretty woman. Not that he’d doubted it, since Bones had good taste. Yanking his mind back to the matter at hand, Jim responded with a smile that finally reached his eyes. “Call me Jim, Jocelyn.”

When they went back to the transporter room, they overheard, “What happened to the Admiral’s dog?” delivered from a wide-eyed Jo.

Chekov was laughing as he said, “It suddenly appeared on that pad, there.”

Jo’s laugh pealed through the room and passing crew-members turned to smile. Bones saw Jocelyn and Jim come through the door and raised an eyebrow at them. They grinned in tandem, bright smiles blazing, their eyes twinkling, and there was a collective sigh as everyone in the room except Jo released the tension they'd been trying to hide from the little girl.

“Bones. Jo. Jocelyn. Why don't we take a tour of the ship?”

“Why do you call my Daddy 'Bones'?”

After a barely perceptible pause while Jim desperately thought of something that wasn't the truth, he said, “He's a doctor and works with people, and people have bones, so I call him Bones?”

Jo gave him the McCoy double whammy with a raised brow _and_ rolling eyes. “That's stupid.”

~O~

After an exhausting few hours (who knew there were so many things an 8-year-old could get into on a starship and why did it surprise him Bones's kid would be so curious?) they found themselves in the guest quarters assigned to the visitors.

“I never met a Vulcan before,” Jo piped up. “Why is he green? And so stuffy?”

“Well, sweet-pea, the chemical composition of his blood is different than it is for humans, and there are some other differences, and that's why he's green. He has a stick up his a-a-a-ah spine, which is why he's so stuffy.”

“Oh. Can't you take the stick out?”

Jim laughed as he showed Jocelyn around the amenities and admired Bones's adroitness at answering kid questions when he said, “No. He'd collapse into a puddle if I took the stick out, and he likes to walk upright. Besides, Miss Nyota likes him the way he is.”

Jo wrinkled her nose. “I'd make him get it out. Miss Nyota's nice. I like her. Everyone else is nice too.”

“Think you're going to have fun while you're here?” Jim queried and she got a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Oh, yeah.”

“No more climbing in the Jeffries tubes unless someone's with you.” Jim put on his best stern look and she deflated a bit before brightening again. Now what had occurred to her? Trying to cover all the bases, he continued. “You know I'm the Captain, right? So I make the rules.” Jo nodded. Jim hunkered down in front of her and cupped his fingers around her chin.

“Well, these are the rules for Crewman Joanna McCoy. No playing in the Jeffries tubes alone. No wandering around anywhere outside this cabin unless someone is with you. No running off and playing hide-and-seek unless there are other people playing with you and _they know_ they're playing too. No touching anything you don't ask about first. You have to eat what your Dad and Mom say you have to eat. When they say it's bedtime, you go to bed and go to sleep. Think you can follow orders, Crewman Jo?”

Her lower lip stuck out in the most adorable pout Jim had ever seen, but she nodded her head finally. Suddenly her eyes gleamed and he frantically tried to think of what he'd missed. When he couldn't, he said, “If you follow orders, and show me you're a crewman I can trust, you can do more the next time you come visit.”

Jo squealed, “Next time? I get to come again?”

“Only if you show me I can trust you. There's a lot of things you aren't familiar with around here and I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?”

Nodding solemnly, but with that unnerving twinkle in her eyes, Joanna agreed to “be the best crewman ever.”

“Do you know what a brig is, Jo?” When she shook her head, he said, “It's a prison.” Jim looked up at Bones. Narrowing his eyes, he said, “You have my permission to throw her in the brig if she gets out of line.”

Bones and Jo snorted in tandem, then Bones said, “He's right, Jo. You need to learn what's what around here and not go runnin' around like you do at home. Be good so you can come visit again.”

“I'm always a good girl, Daddy.” She hugged Bones's waist before turning to Jim again. “Are you my Daddy's boyfriend?”

Bones smirked and raised the Mocking Eyebrow. “Yeah, Jim, are you my boyfriend?”

Without batting an eye, because this was not the kind of thing that would ever fluster James Tiberius Kirk, he grinned, “Yes, I am.”

“Oh. If you marry my Daddy, are you going to be my step-mom?”

Bones barked a laugh at Jim's red-faced open-mouthed astonishment. “No, squirt, he'd be your step-dad like Clay is.”

“Oh. OK, then. That's good cause it'd be weird having a boy for a step-mom.”

“Um. I'm just going to go do captainy things and let you get settled in. Dinner's at 1800 hours unless you want to eat earlier.” Waving his hand at the door, he then waved at Jo and Jocelyn before walking uncertainly to the door. Bones followed and halted him, hand on his arm. They looked at each other a moment before Bones moved his hand to Jim's shoulder. He squeezed it then said, “Thanks, Jim.” With a twinkle, he pressed a quick, chaste kiss to Jim's lips, then turned. “C'mon. Let's get y'all settled. Then we can meet Jim for dinner.”

Jim paused outside the door, fingers touching his lips, heart fluttering. Bones hadn't flinched when Jo had asked about marriage. He hadn't gotten upset or said 'we aren't getting married'; he'd acted like he'd thought about that possibility before. Suddenly a grin split his face. Christmas was _so_ going to rock.

~O~

Dinner was filled with family reminiscences and Jim would have been seething with jealousy if Bones hadn't been sitting by him, rubbing Jim's thigh under the table with his free hand. Jo pouted when Bones told the tale of walking into the kitchen to find three-year-old Joanna with flour everywhere, sitting on the floor, a dozen eggs (shells and all) cracked into a bowl. She was studiously slapping a spoon into the mess, then shoved a piece of bread in it and coated it in the eggs and broken shells.

“Joanna McCoy, what the h-e-double toothpicks do you think you're doin'?”

“MAKIN' TOAST,” she belted out.

Jim froze. “Toast? What?”

“She was making french toast.”

“O-o-kay. What was the flour for?”

“Only God knows.”

Jo sniffed. “Daaa-aad. You're mean.”

“Why am I mean? Your Mom brought it up.”

She tutted, sounding like a disapproving matron. “I never tell any of those stories about you that Gramma does.”

“And you better not, sweetie-pie, because I have dozens of other stories I can tell about you.”

Jo pouted while Jim looked intrigued. He made a mental note to corner Jo later for a little heart-to-heart session.

“Don't even think it, Jim. I know dozens of stories about you, too.”

Now Jim wore an identical pout to Jo's. “You suck, man. You just suck.”

Jim could see the struggle Bones had to not respond in any of the ways he could to that statement, and he leaned back in triumph. It was so good to wield the magic power to silence Bones.

~O~

Jim watched Bones kiss Jo goodnight before hugging Jocelyn. He heard “Thank you so much,” whispered into her hair, then they went back to Jim's quarters. They collapsed across the bed and Bones rubbed his eyes.

“Man, is it always like that with kids?”

Bones snorted. “Just wait. Today wasn't a full day. Kids are energy black holes. They can suck it from the air. Mere mortals don't stand a chance against them.”

“It was a good day.”

Bones smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”

When Jim finally summoned the energy, he leaned over to kiss Bones, who slowly opened to him. Their tongues moved languidly as they lay side-by-side. Hands stroked slowly and kisses tapered off. The next thing he knew, his alarm was going off. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been too tired to make love.

Bones mumbled as he rolled over and silenced the alarm. The men stumbled around each other, showering, dressing and getting coffee. When Bones looked half-awake, he grunted at Jim.

“Sorry about last night. Fell asleep. Happens when you have kids. Make it up to you.”

“I think I fell asleep before you did. 'M not sure. It's worth it.”

Bones nodded and drained his coffee. “Well, Jimbo, once more unto the breach.”

They kissed quickly before Jim headed for the bridge and Bones went to make sure his guests would be able to occupy themselves until he was done in Sickbay. He arranged to meet them for lunch, then went to work.

~O~

Jo had started the morning in Sickbay. When it had been quiet, Jo had been into everything, wide eyed and avid. Bones had patiently shown her everything, including the storage closets. He'd explained what each item was and its purpose. Jo had glowed at the attention. When some engineers came in, though, hair smoking, eyebrows singed off, smudges decoratively highlighting the second degree burns on their faces and hands, it was time to vacate and let the medical staff do their jobs. Jocelyn had gotten permission to send Jo up to the bridge with a nurse.

Jim watched, amused, as Jo hovered over Sulu, pestering him with questions, before migrating over to Chekov. When she'd satisfied herself there, she was off again, a veritable font of questions. Nobody was spared her interrogations.

Now Jo was over peering intently at a clearly uncomfortable Vulcan. “Why are your ears pointy? I mean, some foxes have really big pointy ears so they can hear real good. Are your ears pointy like that so you can hear real good? Can you hear better than me? Cause my ears are smaller and not pointy? How can I get pointy ears like that?”

She never paused long enough for Spock to launch into an answer to any of her questions, Jim was thankful to note. Going over to the little girl, he held out his hand. “Jo. His ears are pointy because he's a Vulcan and that's how they're made. Come over here and let Mr. Spock do his job, OK?”

“What job?”

“Sciency stuff,” Jim said before Spock could go into a detailed description of his work. He pulled Jo over to his chair and sat. “Hop up in my lap and I'll show you what all these buttons do.”

Jo grinned in glee and hopped up on Jim's lap. He went through the different functions, explaining how each was a backup to a function performed by another crewmember, and showed her the comm. “It's the end of your Dad's shift. Why don't we call him?”

Jo beamed. “OK.”

Jim pressed the button and whispered to Jo, “Say, Bridge to Sickbay.” Her voice rang out, a clear, high, sweet sound. Bones responded, “McCoy.” He sounded amused. Jo giggled. Jim prompted, “Say, 'please report to the bridge'.” Jo piped, “Please report to the bridge, Daddy.” “On my way, ma'am.” Jo laughed and hugged Jim around the neck. “Daddy's coming,” she confided.

Jim was just explaining why Jo was not to play with the buttons on his chair, because they were Just For Grownups unless a grownup told her to touch one when Bones walked through the turbolift doors. Jo peered around Jim and squealed, “Daddy,” before vaulting out of Jim's lap, her foot connecting with his groin and making him double over with a groan. As he struggled to draw in a deep breath, Jo pelted across the bridge and threw herself at Bones. He swung her up and hugged her before dropping her back down.

“Hey, there, punkin. Where's your mama?”

“She's napping again. She naps a lot.”

Bones furrowed his brows. “How long has she been napping like that, sweetie?”

“A while?”

“Well, shall we go see if she wants to go get something to eat?”

Jo jumped and clapped her hands. “YES. Let's go, Daddy. C'mon Unca Jim, come with us.”

Bones slanted a look over at Jim. “Unca Jim?”

“What can I say, man? Kids love me.”

Jim sauntered past Bones with a shit-eating grin, gathering Jo with him in the turbolift as they waited for Bones to finish rolling his eyes and “just get on the lift, already, Bones.”

~O~

Bones attempted to convey, by a series of eyebrow and eye motions that highly amused Jim, that Jim should keep Jo occupied while Bones woke Jocelyn. Jim was tempted to tease Bones, but decided in the spirit of the season, he'd be nice. “C'mon, Jo. Let's go wait in Botany for your Mom and Dad. I'll show you the really weird plant we just picked up on Litor.”

“What's it like, Unca Jim?”

“You'll just have to wait and see. It's pretty cool, though.”

Jim winked at Bones as they watched him head to the guest quarters. Jo leaned over to confide, “Daddy's gonna find out why Mama takes naps.”

“Why do you think that, Jo?”

Jo raised her eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Bones. “He got all weird when I said she takes naps, he asked me how long she's been sleepin' like that, an' he thinks I didn't see, but he was makin' all those faces.” It was all said in a 'well, duh' tone of voice. “I'm 8, Unca Jim, not dumb.”

Jim laughed. “I think you're smarter than me, kiddo, and I'm pretty da-darned smart.”

“You two need to stop cussin' so much.”

“That we do.”

Shaking his head in wonder, he took Jo to Botany. Sulu just sighed when he saw them, but lost himself in showing off his plants.

~O~

Bones rang at the guest quarters, and rang again when there was no answer. After a bit, Joce opened the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Joce.”

She looked around in confusion. “Where's Jo?”

“She's with Jim and Sulu in Botany. I wanted to talk to you.”

“Okay.” She looked confused as she moved away from the door. “What's wrong, Lenny?”

Bones sat and patted the couch beside him. “Sit down. Please?”

Jocelyn sat, and Bones studied her. Jocelyn frowned. “What's this about, Lenny? Just come out with it. I thought we got past all the awkward silences.”

“Jo said you're napping a lot lately. Is there something wrong?”

Jocelyn sighed. “Ah. No, there's nothing wrong.”

“Napping isn't like you, Joce. You're all energy all the time. Have you gotten checked? I know you, always carin' what's wrong with other people and ignorin' your own symptoms.”

Jocelyn smiled and patted his hand. “God bless little girls and their talkin'. Yes, I've been checked, no there's nothin' wrong.” She studied him for a moment then took a deep breath. “I'm just pregnant, Lenny. Jo doesn't know yet.”

Bones froze. He didn't know how he felt. After a few moments to let the whirl of emotions settle, he sorted through them: the worry about her health, the happiness that Jo would have a sibling, was that jealousy that the sibling wouldn't be his child?, the pleasure that Joce had seemingly been able to move past the fear of having another baby. “You're goin' in regularly for your appointments? Who's your doctor? How far along are you? When are you gonna tell Jo?”

When Bones ran out of breath, she laughed a bit. “Ok, in order, yes, I'm going to my appointments. My doctor is Dr. Nica Ngaio-Ford at Atlanta General and I'm twelve weeks along. We're tellin' Jo on New Years Day. New year, new addition to the family. I hope she'll be happy about it. And before you ask, yes, my doctor has my records, so she knows about my preeclampsia from when we had Jo. She's giving me supplements and checking on a new genetic therapy. Knowin' you, I already gave her permission to talk to you. Although Clay doesn't know that and I don't want him to know. He's still a mite jealous of you even though he denies it.”

Bones made a mental note to contact the doctor and find out about the therapy. “You all right, Joce? And how are you feelin' about this?”

She smiled, if a bit sadly. “I'm okay for now. They're watching me like a hawk. And you know I have been getting therapy. I'm happy about the baby. I'm dealing better with things. And even if I get post-partum depression again, they'll be able to treat it quicker. I won't pull another family apart because I can't handle being married or I'm afraid of havin' another child. I'm not the same person I was.” She ran her hand over his cheek, softly, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I'm so sorry, Lenny. Sorry I hurt you like that.”

“Ah, Joce.” Bones pulled her into a hug, resting his cheek on the crown of her head. “It wasn't just your fault. I had a hand in it, too. It took a long time, but I forgave you. I did hate you for a while, but I'll never regret Jo, or the good times with you. Shit happens, and this time, it happened to us. It led to me being here, with Jim, and that's the best thing that's happened to me since Jo, so it's all right now. Let it go, Joce. We're both in good places now, so just let it go.” He leaned back to kiss her forehead and she gave him a sniffle and a watery smile.

She waved at her face. “Sorry. I get emotional. Mood swings. Remember?”

“Oh, god, do I.”

They laughed, slipping away from the too emotional state they'd been heading for and back into the old comforting familiarity of their friendship. After Jocelyn scrubbed her face, she came back and tilted her head at Bones. “Well, Lenny, shall we go rescue your Jim from Jo?”

~O~

They walked into Botany in time to hear Jo's scornful voice. “It can't eat my brain. It isn't a zombie!”

“What isn't a zombie, bella?”

“Daddy, Ru says this plant is gonna eat my brain if I get too close.” She waved at an oddly shaped orange fronded plant. “It's all feathery and it's not a zombie, so it can't eat my brain.” She stared indignantly at Sulu, who was doing a marvelous job at controlling the grin threatening to overtake him.

“Ru?” Bones said in tandem with Jocelyn's “Zombie?”

Jo pointed at Sulu. “He's Ru, Daddy, don't you know him? He was on the bridge before he came here to play with the plants. Zombie, Mama. It's a thing that's dead but not really and it wants to eat your braaaaaains.” She said the last in a theatrical voice as she tottered toward Jocelyn with a pronounced limp and outstretched, claw-like hands.

Jocelyn looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified. “Where ever on earth did you hear about zombies?”

In the meantime, Bones was mouthing at Jim, “Ru? Sulu-ru? Oh, Hikaru.” He frowned as he caught up to the rest of the conversation. “Zombies? What the he-eeeck, Jo? Zombies aren't real, sweetheart.”

“They are too real, Daddy. I saw a thing about a drug that makes people act like zombies. I saw it with Asta and Mbeke. It was a real old holo. Like, from before I was born.” Her eyes widened at the thought of anything from such antiquity. “It was from Olden Times.”

“Olden Times are from before you were born?” The adults were feeling more adrift in a sea of confusion the longer they talked to the little girl.

Jo nodded earnestly. “It might have been even ten or twenty years old.”

Bones muttered, “I must be ancient, then.”

“You are, Daddy.”

“Ok, squirt. I think it's time to leave 'Ru' alone and for us to go get some dinner, all right?”

Jo tched, but nodded. “Fine, Unca Jim,” was uttered with a put-upon sigh.

~O~

Dinner was good, but Jim spent a paranoid time wondering why Bones had taken such a long time to bring Jocelyn. It wasn't that he was jealous, really, or thought Bones would be interested in getting back together with Jocelyn, well, probably, and Jocelyn had sounded truthful when she'd said she was happy with Clay, so it was more than likely fine, but damn it. He wanted desperately to cut this off and find out what had caused the delay.

Jim was honest enough with himself to admit he hurried the meal. It seemed Jocelyn picked up on his mood. With a wink, she finally turned to Jo. “All right, darlin' daughter. Time for all good girls to go to bed. Santa can't come if you aren't in bed.”

Jo frowned at her mother. “Mama. Santa can't come here. His reindeer don't have space suits. He's leavin' presents at home.”

Bones broke in. “He'll still know if you don't go to bed on time and won't leave presents at home if you don't mind your mama.”

“That's right,” Jim continued. “Plus, I'll be sad if one of my crewmen can't follow the rules. One of which is to go to sleep when their parents say it's bedtime.”

Jo pouted, but finally acceded. She waved good night to everyone eating in the mess, then led the way down the hall to their quarters. Jo was tucked away with kisses for all and the men left. When they got back to Jim's quarters, Bones looked at Jim in amusement.

“Somethin' you want to ask me about, kid?”

“Damn straight. Spill it. What's up, doc?”

Bones shoved Jim with a palm to his forehead, rocking Jim's head back on his shoulders. “Idiot.”

Jim laughed, but dragged Bones to the bedroom. “You know you want to tell me, so do it.”

He told Jim about his conversation with Jocelyn, about her pregnancy and that Jo didn't know yet, so “for god's sakes, don't tell her, you overexcited puppy.”

“Awesome. Now I won't have to shove her out the airlock for trying to get you back.”

Bones just stared at Jim. “You know, I really didn't think you were serious when you told her that yesterday. What in the hell makes you think she'd ever want to get me back, and if she tried, just how damned stupid do you think I am? I'm not givin' up what I've got here to go back to livin' in misery with her. Not givin' you up, jackass.”

Jim grinned. “Good answer. Now c'mere.”

Jim pulled Bones into a soul-searing, heated kiss that didn't ease until they were both panting and flushed. Slowly undressing each other, they laved each newly exposed spot of skin. It was slow and lazy, a languid joining that lasted until their releases washed through them in a tidal swell of pleasure. Jim lay sated, head on Bones’s shoulder and arm thrown across his chest, as his breathing slowly evened. Bones’s heartbeat slowed to a comforting pulse under Jim’s ear and they relaxed into a well-earned sleep.

~O~

Jim and Bones waited outside the guest quarters and heard feet racing to the door. A breathless, elated whirlwind threw herself at the men, wrapping an arm around each man’s waist. Bones lifted Jo up and they had a quick three-way hug before Bones flushed and looked around to make sure nobody had seen him being all non-cranky and domestic. He glared at the hapless ensign who had been studiously ignoring the scene. The ensign froze under the glower, then bolted back the way he’d come. Relaxing again at the now empty hall, Bones walked into the quarters, Jim following with a grin.

“Merry Christmas, Daddy, Unca Jim. Let’s open presents.”

“No presents until after breakfast, young lady.”

“Da-a-a-addy.”

“You aren’t goin’ to want to eat after you open stuff up, so go get your mama and we’ll eat. You’ll live waitin’ half an hour.”

Jo looked to Jim for support, but he shook his head. “Rules, Jo, gotta follow the rules sometimes to get what you want.”

Jo stomped her foot, then dragged into the bedroom area while Bones stared at Jim in astonishment, then felt his forehead before checking his eyes. “You feelin’ all right?”

Jim slapped Bones’s hand away. “I can be responsible sometimes.”

“Uh-huh. And I got a magic wand that sprinkles fairy dust all over.”

“Prick-uh-prickly pears taste great,” Jim stuttered when he saw Jo out of the corner of his eye.

Jo looked worried. “Are you fighting?”

“Now look, you got her thinking we’re fighting, Jim,” Bones burst out while Jim put Bones in a neck lock and ruffled his hair.

“Nah, Jo, your Dad’s a prince and I’d never fight with him.”

Bones shoved at Jim but couldn’t break his hold. Bones wrapped his arm around Jim’s back and tickled along his ribs. When Jim tried to pull away, Bones whipped around and attacked Jim. They ended on the floor, Bones straddling Jim’s waist, fingers hitting every ticklish spot Jim had while Jim squealed like a girl and squirmed. Jim pushed up on Bones’s jaw and Bones saw Jo, wide-eyed and open mouthed as Joce hugged her ribs and laughed.

“G-gosh dang it, Jim, you moron.” Bones stood up, knees popping. Nudging Jim with his foot, he grumbled, “Get up, brat, before you give the ladies the wrong idea.”

Jim snorted, but rose, then planted a kiss on Bones’s lips. “Probably give them the right idea,” he mumbled as Jo wailed, “Gross, you guys.”

Bones slapped Jim in the back of the head. “PDAs, Jim?” he barked. “What are you, twelve?”

“Oh, you love it and me.”

“Idiot. Out. Breakfast before you embarrass yourself and me more.”

“Just you, Bones. I don’t get embarrassed.” Jim was smug as he held his arm out for Jocelyn. “Shall we spare him?”

“Oh, no need to on my account, I’m sure.”

Bones growled and shoved Jim toward the door.

~O~

Jo was bouncing in her seat after swallowing her food as fast as possible. “Come on, hurry up.”

“What’s the magic word, Jo?”

Jo wrinkled her nose up but obediently said, “Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?”

“We’re almost done, princess. Just give us a few more minutes.”

“Guh.” Jo folded her arms, lower lip sticking out and Jim snapped his hand out to grab it. Jo’s eyes widened in astonishment as he pulled gently and let her go.

An offended voice snapped, “Unca Jim. That was mean.”

“Got you to stop pouting.” Jim grinned unrepentantly at her and she snorted before looking around, patently bored. Spying Chekov talking to a pretty, dark haired girl, she turned to her parents and put on her most winning expression. “Can I go say hi to Pabel? Please?”

Narrowing his eyes at her after seeing her parents nod, Jim said, “Straight over there, say hi to Pavel, and don’t go anywhere else. Straight there, straight back. Got it?”

“OK,” she chirped, and hopped down to dash over to Chekov. The adults watched the little girl as she hopped up on a chair by Chekov’s side and proceeded to charm the girl with whom he had been eating. They finished eating and finally Jocelyn took pity on Chekov and what appeared to be a Christmas date. She went over to fetch Jo who waved at Chekov and the girl, who giggled and beamed as they left.

Soon, presents were opened with oohs and aahs, and they played games until the evening, when the Christmas party was scheduled. At the party, the swirl of people, excited chatter and glittering decorations vied for the small group’s attention. Eventually, Jim, Bones and Jocelyn gathered back together to realize that each had thought Jo was with another of the adults. After a frantic search, they found the exhausted child curled up in a ball with Keenser, who was petting her hair and nodding off as well.

Bones carried her back to the guest quarters and she sleepily murmured as he tucked her in. Taking their leave, the men went back to Jim’s quarters, and they curled up on the couch to open the gifts they had set aside for when they could be alone. Jim opened a package to reveal a first edition copy of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, and he smiled wistfully as he stroked the cover. It had been a book that he had read multiple times as a youth, losing himself in the stories, imaging the exotic locations and scenes flavored with the dust and charm of ages past.

It had seen him though some dark days of his youth, days when he had been lost and bitter over a dead father and a mother who was required to be off-planet much of the year. He had told Bones about six months previously of his escape into fiction, of Just So Stories and Big Red, of Mark Twain and Robert Heinlein, of amazing adventures riding dragons to fight thread and looking for doors into summer. He'd told Bones about afternoons on the porch with Frankenstein's monster, evenings in the attic with Tarzan and winters in front of the fire with She and The Phantom.

Bones had been rapt, engrossed into the glimpse of a lost boy finding an anchor in myths, fantasies and adventure. He had started looking then for books that would bring back Jim's lost childhood dreams, the books that made Jim glow when he described them. Jim leaned over and kissed Bones, a sweet thank you and promise rolled into one.

Rising after they parted, Jim went over to his desk and pulled out a box. Sitting again and handing it to Bones, he waited, stomach a knotted ball of nerves. Bones opened it to find an ornate case. Inside was a set of antique scalpels along with a folded note. With a puzzled half-smile, he opened the note and read.

‘Bones,

I don’t think I can do this aloud, so I’m taking the easy way out and writing. I’m not going to do the whole mushy feelings thing. I just want you to know that even if I don’t talk about everything you do for me, I appreciate it all. If you’d be willing to put up with me in a permanent, official way, then let’s go pick out rings on our next shore leave. What do you say, Bones? I’ll take you in hypospray abuse and crankiness if you’ll take me in injury and idiocy.

Jim’

Bones froze, breath stuttering to a halt. Glancing up sharply, he stared intently at Jim while his mouth worked soundlessly. Finally, he grunted out, “Jim? Seriously?”

Jim couldn’t tell if Bones was happy or not but sucked it up and nodded. “Yeah. I am, Bones.”

“Is this just because of Joce?”

“No. I’ve been planning this for a while. Decided to ask before I found out she was coming.”

“Hmmph. Well, I don’t want any damned diamonds. None o’ that girly shit. Just plain rings. Got it?”

Jim burst into a blazing grin. “Whatever you want, Bones.” He leaned forward to throw his arms around Bones, who hurried to set aside his scalpels before Jim managed to accidentally slit his wrists or open a femoral artery. After a moment, Jim pulled back to press his hands to Bones's cheeks. “You sure, Bones?”

“Wouldn't'a said it if I wasn't.” Bones looked flustered and his voice was gruff, but his eyes were crinkled and the smile lines were more pronounced. “I sure as fuck ain't sayin' shit just to make you happy, bonehead.”

“You never have, Bones. I can always trust you to say it like it is. I think it's time to head for bed, don't you?” The last part was said in a husky voice that sent a flare of desire through Bones.

“Mmm.”

They took a detour to the shower first. It was Christmas; they could use some water rations. They didn’t get much washing up done, but they did end with Bones coming against the shower wall, Jim tight against his back, their fingers entwined and hands pressed to the shower wall as Jim released deep inside Bones’s warmth.

After drying each other, hands doing more touching than towels did, they found their way to the bed. Their lips meshed and their tongues slid together. It was an even give and take, each taking the opportunity to discover anew the other’s textures and taste. They touched and stroked, mapping the planes and curves of their bodies and teased their most sensitive erogenous zones.

When Bones slid into Jim in one smooth, deep stroke, Jim’s mouth dropped open with a gasp, and he curled up to Bones, mouthing his neck and shoulders. They moved in a slow, sensuous rhythm, savoring the pleasure building to an explosive climax. Bones lost his rhythm and froze before thrusting in time to his cock’s pulsing. When his orgasm faded, he stayed buried in Jim and stroked him to release. Jim’s eyes clenched closed as he dug his fingers in Bones’s shoulders, and Bones’s grunt at the muscles squeezing too tightly around over-sensitive flesh served as a counterpoint to Jim’s gasped groan.

They separated and relaxed, entwined in satiation, and their fingers slowly stopped circling and stroking as they relaxed into sleep.

~O~

Jocelyn and Jo were leaving first thing in the morning, beaming to the Lexington which would shuttle them back to Earth. After a breakfast at which Jo explained that the thing she didn’t like about white bread was that it was too ‘soft and gentle’ making whole grain bread better, they went to various departments so Jo could say goodbye to medical staff, engineers, and others she'd befriended before they headed to the transporter room.

Jim led Jo around to say goodbye to the crew who had come to see her off while Bones had a final word with Jocelyn. Jocelyn was looking at Bones with a hard stare, uncertainty radiating from her.

“You’ll make sure she isn’t alone with anyone, won’t you, Lenny? You’ll make sure?”

Bones was gentle, reassuring, when he replied. “Yeah, Joce. I’ll protect our girl. I won’t let her get hurt, I promise. She’ll have her childhood. She won’t grow up before she should.”

“They all seem like good people, Lenny. I just don’t want her hurt.”

Bones stroked her arm, trying to reassure her. “I know, Joce. They _are_ all good people, and they all have had in-depth psychological profiles done. They’ll protect her just like she was their own.”

Jocelyn chewed her lower lip before taking a deep breath and nodding decisively. “Ok, Lenny. See? I’m working on it.” She smiled tremulously and Bones felt a flush of pride in her. He pulled her into a hug and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

“Thanks, Joce. Thanks for tryin’ so hard, and for bringin’ her. And, thanks for trustin’ me. It means a lot.”

They separated and saw Jo hugging Spock. He had an impassive face, but radiated a hilarious mix of surprise, panic and pleasure. Jo left him to hug Nyota, who grinned and ruffled her hair.

“Bye, Jo. Come back soon, OK?”

“I will, Nee. When I come back can you teach me Vulcan?”

“Sure.”

Jo beamed and hugged Chekov. “Your girlfriend is real pretty, Pabel.”

Chekov blushed. “She isn’t really my girlfriend. We just spend a lot of time together.”

“If you kiss her she’ll have to marry you,” Jo warned.

“Uh. I’ll remember that.”

“Ok. Bye, Pabel.”

Chekov waved and Jo ran to Jim. She’d already said goodbye to the rest, with Scotty telling her to be a good lassie and she was not to go scaling equipment in Engineering with Keenser again because 'it's not a climbin' frame', Sulu telling her not to let any plants eat her and Keenser patting her awkwardly, eyes bright and sad.

She threw herself at Jim and hugged him as tightly as she could.

“I swear, Jo, you give the best bear hugs ever.”

“I know. Love you, Unca Jim.”

“Love you too, squirt. Come back soon.”

Jo squealed. “I will.”

She turned to Bones then and he swept her up to hug her like his life depended on it. Once again she squeaked and said, “Too tight, Daddy.” Yet again, she didn't relinquish her hold when he loosened his. She gave him an Eskimo kiss, rubbing their noses together before giving him a real kiss goodbye.

“Goodbye, Daddy. I'll come back real soon.”

Bones's voice was gruff when he replied. “Bye, princess. I can't wait 'til you come back. I'll be right here waitin'. Now, you be good for your mama and step-dad, OK?”

“I'm always a good girl, Daddy.”

They reluctantly parted and the two waited on the pad for the swirl that would send them on their way. Jo waved madly, a mile-wide grin beaming and Jocelyn smiled down at her before saying, “Thank you, Jim, Lenny. I'll send her back soon.” Then they were gone, and Bones turned from the pad, shoulders slumping a little. Jim took him by the elbow and led him from the room to their quarters.

“You all right?”

Wearily, Bones nodded. “Yeah, Jim. Just... sad to see her gone.”

“She can come back any time she wants.”

“I know. As long as Joce lets her.”

“Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I'll talk her into it if I have to. I have her comm number now. I'll make sure you get to see Jo as often as possible.”

Bones raised an eyebrow before reflecting on Jim's position on no-win scenarios. If anyone could keep Joce willing to allow visits, it was Jim. With a sudden smile that lit his face, he allowed a hope he hadn't felt for years to flow through him.

“You do that, kid. So, when's our next shore leave? We have rings to pick out.”

Jim grinned in return. “Think I know who the flower girl's gonna be.”

The kiss they shared was promise and gratitude, love and hope, and ended in a series of small kisses that finally tapered off until their foreheads were pressed together. Finally, Jim pulled back.

“C'mon Bones. It's a new day. It's the first day of the rest of our lives. Let's get to living.”

Bones rolled his eyes before stalking to the door. His parting “Sentimental idiot” left Jim laughing as he headed to the bridge and the start of their brave new future together.

**Author's Note:**

> It should go without saying that I don't know or own or profit from these characters. I'm just amusing myself. I apologize for the comma-abuse and other grammar sins. If you see something that needs to be corrected and you feel like telling me, I'll be happy to fix it. For some reason this didn't feel right for out-and-out porn. Also, it was written on a trip to Washington State for an Uncle's funeral, so that stress probably made this much worse than normal. Sorry for the probable train-wreck this story proved to be. I will admit I cheated a bit. Most of the things Jo says and does are stolen straight from my nieces and nephews, including: the french toast incident, not liking white bread, saying boys don't cry - they have allergies, the reference to Olden Times and the zombie obsession.


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